1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a concrete screed board, and more particularly to a screed board attachment including a device for attaching a pair of pivotal handles to the screed board.
2. The Prior Art
As is known to those having ordinary skill in the art, a screed board is used in cement finishing work for leveling freshly poured concrete. If the area of the concrete to be smoothed is relatively narrow, a screed board, which is usually a relatively long, straight wooden board, may be operated by two individuals who place the board on concrete forms and then move it back and forth along the forms to level concrete after it has been freshly poured.
After concrete has been poured, care must be taken to level the concrete so that there are no high spots or low areas. When utilizing a screed board to accomplish this result, a screed board is selected which is generally 10 to 16 feet in length; the screed board is handled by men stooping over with their arms extended downwardly to grasp and move the screed board. As can be appreciated, this is a very tiring position, and many cement workers experience back problems as they grow older. It has been recognized that the use of handles in combination with a screed board may simplify the concrete levelling operation and thereby lessen the physical stresses on the operators of the screed board. However, none of the handles and similar proposals heretofore provided facilitated the operation of the screed board in the manner of the present invention.
A preliminary search was conducted on the present invention and the following listed patents were uncovered in the search.
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,897,735 Alessio August 4, 1959 3,046,856 Baxter July 31, 1956 4,256,416 Bishop March, 1981 4,702,641 Naser, et al. October 27, 1987 4,828,427 Nisenbaum May 9, 1989 5,016,319 Stigen May 21, 1991 ______________________________________
Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,416 shows a pair of short handles fixed relative to one another, one handle extending straight upwardly from its attachment to the screed bar while the other handle extends upwardly at an angle. Operation of the Bishop device requires applying a downward pressure on the upwardly extending handle while pulling the screed with the laterally outwardly extending handles. Furthermore, because of the shortness of the handles, the operators will still have to stoop over to operate the screed bar.
Naser, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,641 shows a single handle connected to the center of the screed bar by angled brackets.
Baxter U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,856 shows a concrete finishing device having a pivoted handle (see FIG. 4). However, the pivoting is accomplished in a different manner and could not be used on a screed bar with two men operating the screed bar as disclosed in the present application.
Alessio U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,735 describes a device attached to a screed and connected to a belt worn by the user with chains. The screed is moved side to side by the user swaying as he walks slowly backward. However, as can be appreciated from reviewing the Alessio disclosure, the construction of this handle assembly permits its use only on small jobs; i.e., with very short length screed boards inasmuch it is designed for use by only a single operator. Furthermore, it should be readily apparent from the description in the Alessio disclosure that the operation of this device would be extremely awkward.
Nisenbaum U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,427 shows an elongated handle with means of attachment to the screed board 14. Again, this patent does not disclose the present invention.
Stigen U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,319 shows an elongated telescoping handle which is not pivotal. The Stigen patent appears to be somewhat similar to the Bishop patent discussed above. The Bishop patent shows very short handles, whereas the Stigen patent shows longer handles inclined in essentially the same direction.